Ships head turning towards England.
My schedule is planned to include Portsmouth, Bexhill, Hastings, Wilsford, Plymouth, Charelstown, St Austell, Emsworth, maybe Penzance then back to Portsmouth …
Not all in one day .

On the subject of Plymouth, here is the latest progress with Titanic’, “Plymouth Harbour”.

A very unusual painting, in that I am reproducing the painting by the famous Norman Wilkinson, lost when Titanic sank.
The new painting is very fortunate to be aided by the leading expert on Titanic, Tim Maltin, will be as near the original as possible except alongside Norman Wilkinson’s signature, will be my signature.

I have reached the stage where some of the detail is beginning to emerge.

Without Mr. Maltin, I would not have chosen to paint this extraordinary subject.

Being Plymouth a place I still regard as my ‘home port’, is of course a further incentive for me.

I’m planning to visit England later this month, Portsmouth, Bexhill, Hastings, St Austell and of course, the wonderful city of Plymouth.

“It is upon the Navy under the Providence of God that the safety, honour and welfare of this realm do chiefly depend” – from the Articles of War (1652) read weekly to all Royal Navy ships crews for 300 years.

Today I begin to try and check out which Cape of Good Hope class ships & which submarines were active at Plymouth in 1911/12, the period when Wilkinson painted his “Plymouth Harbour” for The #White Star Line.

Started 2 years ago, coupled with good light and inspiration, this work of art has eased me into 2018 paintings.

The symbolism and abstraction qualities expressed in this painting, eternal love, hope and faith, will bring good fortune, kindness and wise judgement to those seeking spiritual truth and emotional security.

As we, HMS Racehorse, author Peter Goodwin and I get neared completing, changes become progressively more refined, smaller and more subtle, harder to notice, yet people have very powerful intuition so sense what is not right.

Racehorse progress, 30.10.17

There remains much to be done, completion or at least the delicate 97 % stage does now look in sight. You can follow this rare new yarn via “HMS Racehorse“. (more…)

I will share with you, especially those who know or would like to know the Plymouth area, part of my answer via a Facebook comment from my friend Linda Winter who reminded me via her post of the old Radford House controversially demolished in 1937 and the manor that preceded it, the caves, Radford and Hooe lakes, you referred to Linda Winter, are all still there and I’ll reminisce a little, about happy days….